A young bike-rider was killed while his cousin was injured when a trailer hit them in Quaidabad early on Thursday morning, according to the Karachi police.

Rules restricting the movement of heavy vehicles were recently implemented in the metropolis amid rising traffic accidents involving dumpers and tankers, and protests over the deaths of citizens.

Earlier this month, the provincial government banned the entry of heavy vehicles into the city during the daytime, only allowing them to operate from 11pm to 6am. Exemptions, however, were granted to trucks carrying water, petroleum products, medicines, meat and other essential goods. The Sindh government has also made it mandatory for all heavy vehicles in Karachi to have a physical fitness certificate amid the rising number of traffic accidents involving dumper trucks.

Regarding today’s accident, Malir Superintendent of Police Saeed Rind told Dawn.com: “The victims were riding the motorcycle when the heavy vehicle hit them near Daud Chali. The errant driver managed to escape from the spot, leaving behind the trailer that was seized by the police.”

He added that the injured were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where 25-year-old Shahbaz was pronounced dead while his cousin, Ali Haider, was admitted for treatment.

“The deceased originally hailed from Tando Mohammed Khan where his coffin was taken for burial. The relatives told the police that they would lodge a case after the burial,” the police official added.

Separately, an unidentified man was killed in a hit-and-run incident on main University Road near old Sabzi Mandi earlier today, according to a statement from the Edhi Foundation spokesperson. It added that the body was taken to JPMC for legal formalities.

Earlier in the week, in yet another accident involving heavy traffic violating a ban on their movement during the daytime, an industrialist and his son were killed when a trailer struck their car, which fell from the ICI Bridge to the ground on Monday afternoon.

Last week, two motorcyclists were killed and another was critically injured in accidents involving heavy vehicles at Karachi’s Sharea Faisal and National Highway.

An alarming increase was registered in road accidents in Karachi as nearly 500 people were killed while 4,879 were injured in 2024 due to a host of reasons ranging from reckless driving to construction activities, etc, according to hospital data.